Any idea why some people never have "bad" lab results?

[Xheila]

Here are my results from 2017, when I could not function, after being symptomatic for 4 years. My main hypothyroid symptom has always been insomnia. I also suffered from anxiety, anorexia, depression, weight loss, and hair loss.

TSH 2.8 (0.40-4.50 mIU/L)

Free T4 0.9 (0.8-1.8 NG/DL)

THYROGLOBULIN ANTIBODIES <1 (<OR=1 IU/ML)

THYROID PEROXIDASE ANTIBODIES 33 (<9 IU/ML)

HOMOCYSTEINE 16.4 (<10.4 UMOL/L)

Ferritin 14 (10-232 NG/ML)

B12, serum 348 (200-1100 PG/ML)

Vitamin D 24 (30-100 NG/ML)

T3, Reverse 5 (8-25 ng/dL)

Fortunately, this was when I found a new doctor (a Hashimoto's patient herself) who did diagnose me with Hashi's based on the thyroid peroxidase antibodies from those lab results. But my heart breaks when I think of all of you who would need a TSH over 10 to get treated. I am not being flip when I say that I would have ended my life before I got to a TSH of 10.

[tattybogle]

Feeling bad without 'bad' lab results makes more sense when you see this graph of the most common 'healthy' TSH levels healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

If for example you were one of those who 'usually' has their TSH around 0.05 or 0.5 .. then your 2.8 in 2017 is pretty 'bad ' ... for you.

But someone who's 'usual' was 2.2 would probably have a TSH of 2.8 every winter and feel just fine.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

The less TSH responds….the more difficult it seems to be to get diagnosed or correctly treated

Many members who get diagnosed with very high TSH frequently seem to recover well

Your results above show extremely low vitamin levels, (probably from being hypothyroid a long time, and these low vitamin levels tend to lower TSH as well

As most medics only look at TSH…..many patients are doomed

[Xheila in reply to SlowDragon]

This makes a lot of sense when I think of my history. At the time of the above lab results, I was only able to work about 8 hours/week, single parent my 5-year old, and basically do nothing else. I mean, nothing, not thinking, not reading, no social visits, I was barely even eating. I just laid down all the time. I think my whole system had pretty much shut down, everything was suppressed.

Within a year after these lab results, I was able to move Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D higher in range, and get the homocysteine under control. [Ferritin is a different story, one I'm still working on because I have very high serum iron.] But with my thyroid, I was undertreated for a few years, always on NDTs. By the end of 2019, on 97.5mg WP Thyroid, my TSH did actually reach 5.7. But I was nowhere as ill as I was before treatment.

Thank you for the insights! I believe I understand this a lot better now.

[McPammy]

My TSH got to 36 ( 0.35-5.50) before I got any help from my GP. I felt so bad. And then I was only treated with T4 Levothyroxine. No vitamins checked either then. I really struggled for 10 years on Levothyroxine. Until I found this forum. I eventually went private only and diagnosed with very poor conversion from T4 to active T3. Once trialed on Liothyronine T3 combined with Levothyroxine I had a huge positive response and have remained that way now for over 2 years. I’ve had 19 sets of blood tests since starting T3 medication now. All bar two have been in range and I’ve never felt so well and energised in many many years. There is a way to get well, energised and healthy again. Although a couple of years ago I didn’t think I would. I’ve also lost over 4st that piled on being grossly under medicated for many years. Go T3!